There are aching hearts
waiting,
hoping
for brand new starts—
broken lives
hurting,
stinging
under the weight of it all.
They call
with a voice that travels
far beyond
the seas:
in vain.
They echo,
bouncing off the walls
of stony hearts.

I’m an introvert.
I get peopled out.
I need time to recharge.

I’m naturally shy.
I don’t like talking to
people I
don’t know.
I hate it when they
don’t say
anything—
it forces me to talk.

I’m prideful.
I want to be the best.
I want to excel
at whatever I do.
I want people’s good opinion.
So I hide the real me.